Brooks voices support for Trump’s call for the creation of a space force

After President Donald J. Trump (R) called for the possible creation of a space force, Congressman Mo Brooks, R-Huntsville, praised the president’s remarks. Trump made the comment while speaking at the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California.

“I applaud President Trump for calling for the Space Force, a modern military space program that would help protect America’s interests in space and keep us ahead of both China and Russia,” U.S. Rep. Brooks said. “With Marshall Space Flight Center in our backyard, the Tennessee Valley proudly embraces the creation of a new Space Force. After all, the road to the Space Force runs through the Tennessee Valley.”

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“Creation of a space military unit is something I’ve diligently worked with my colleague and fellow Alabamian, Congressman Mike Rogers, to include in the 2018 NDAA passed by the House,” Brooks added. “I’m pleased to hear the President lend his support for the Space Force.”

In his speech, President Trump stated, “My new national strategy for space recognizes space is a war fighting domain just like the air, land, and sea. We may even have a Space Force—develop another one—Space Force. We’ll have the Air Force, we’ll have the Space Force. We have the Army, the Navy.”

Addressing the Marines, President Trump said, “Space is a war-fighting domain just like the land, air, and sea,” Trump said, addressing an audience of Marines at the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station in San Diego, California. “We may even have a space force—develop another one—space force. We have the Air Force, we’ll have the space force. We have the Army, the Navy.”

The president said the idea came to him recently. “I was saying it the other day—’cause we’re doing a tremendous amount of work in space—I said, maybe we need a new force. We’ll call it the space force,” he said. “And I was not really serious. And then I said, what a great idea. Maybe we’ll have to do that. That could happen. That could be the big, breaking story.”

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The idea of a space corps is not new. Last July, the House of Representatives passed legislation that would direct the Defense Department to create a “space corps” as a new military service, housed within the Air Force, but the Pentagon opposed it.

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Congressman Mo Brooks supported that original legislation.

Brooks represents Alabama’s Fifth Congressional District. The conservative Republican is seeking his fifth term in the United States Congress.

Original reporting by the Atlantic’s Marina Koren contributed to this report.